Preface

Today we are living at a decisive moment in the fight to promote sustainability. We must be aware that during the COVID-19 pandemic, "*sustainability problems did not go on vacation. All values have exceeded the limits, they are in the red zone.*" The problem of sustainability is an "old" problem. For almost three decades, the United Nations has been bringing together almost all the countries of the world for global climate summits called "Conference of the Parties" (COP). Since then, climate change has gone from being a marginal issue to becoming a global priority. The annual UN climate conference, COP26, reminds us that the issue of sustainability is now an issue that requires urgent measures, a change of course by the G20 summit. From Nepal to Bermuda to Madagascar, *"where according to many the first famine induced by climate change in history is occurring*," the effects of the "*worsening of the earth's climate are visible everywhere in the world*." In our age, the development of a *competitive* and *resilient society* has two main determinants: a pervasive digital transformation and the growth of environmental and social sustainability of human activities. These two development paradigms not only complement each other within a widely shared vision of development, but they also reinforce each other in a synergistic relationship. In this scenario, it is clear that methodologies and tools that serve to define the product, manage its evolution, and monitor business processes are the keys to success for any company and production sector. It must also be clear that a holistic view of the product presupposes a strategic management of data, information, processes, and related resources. Certainly, digital technologies play a decisive role in the green transition. Speed, flexibility, and punctuality in the management of activities often translate, for example, into a sharp drop in production waste. The need to measure the environmental impact of digital business is a topical issue for those involved in sustainability. We are aware of the advantages that sustainability and digitalization bring to companies: the first, now essential in a vision of serious business development, serves to transform the products and services offered so that they have as minimal an environmental impact as possible. By this, we mean reducing pollution from production activity and reducing waste by increasing the use of secondary raw materials. This can be accomplished via careful design of products' life cycles and putting the future of people and the planet first. Companies should perceive the power of sustainability in the development of a future vision that brings benefits to the whole system, both inside and outside the organization. The topic of sustainability is getting hotter, especially for companies that find themselves having to meet the demands of a market that is sensitive to the reduction of all environmental impacts. The pandemic, in fact, has clearly shown companies the importance of an efficient, resilient supply chain; however, the issues of environmentally friendly production and sustainability still deserve attention. A clear vision and environmental culture are lacking because, even today, companies are motivated to act to improve the environment essentially by compliance with government regulations and the opportunity to achieve profit growth. This book is a useful resource for anyone who deals with these issues. We hope that it will provide useful ideas, techniques, and methods for further research.

Special thanks to all the authors who contributed to the success of the project. On behalf of all, we thank the following authors: Dr. Shinozaki Akira, Dr. Olanrewaiu Oludalapo, Dr. Minguez Rikardo, Prof. Augusto Bianchini, and Dr. Udokporo Chinonso. We are also grateful to the manuscript reviewers for their effort, time, and invaluable suggestions. Our special thanks to the staff at IntechOpen, especially Commissioning Editor Anja Filipovic, Author Service Manager Martina Ivancic, and Darko Hrvojic for their support throughout the publishing process.

> **Antonella Petrillo and Fabio De Felice** Department of Engineering, University of Naples "Parthenope", Naples, Italy
